
ei 



T. 5. DENISON & COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS CHICAGO 



DENISON'S ACTING PLAYS 

Partial List of Successful and Popular Plays. Large Catalogue Free. 



DRAMAS, COMEDIES, 
ENTERTAINMENTS, Etc. 

M. F. 

Aaron Boggs, Freshman, 3 

acts, IV2 hrs (25c) 8 8 

Abbu San of Old Japan, 2 acts, 

2 hrs (25c) 15 

After the Game, 2 acts, \y A 

hrs (25c) 1 9 

All a Mistake, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 

(25c) 4 4 

All for the Cause, 1 act, \ l / A 

hrs (25c) 10 

All on Account of Polly, 3 acts, 

2% hrs (25c) 6 10 

And Home Came Ted, 3 acts, 

2Y A hrs (35c) 6 6 

Arizona Cowboy, 4 acts, 2J4 

hrs (25c) 7 5 

As a Woman Thinketh, 3 acts, 

2Y 2 hrs (25c) 9 7 

At the End of the Rainbow, 3 

acts, 2^4 hrs (25c) 6 14 

Boy Scout Hero, 2 acts, \Y\ hrs. 

(25c) .17 

Boy Scouts' Good Turn, 3 acts, 

134 hrs (25c) 16 2 

Brookdale Farm, 4 acts, 2*4 

hrs (25c) 7 3 

Brother Josiah, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 

(25c) 7 4 

Busy Liar, 3 acts, 2J4 h. (25c) 7 4 
Call of the Colors, 2 acts, \y 2 

hrs (25c) 4 10 

Call of Wohelo, 3 acts, 1M 

hrs (25c) 10 

Camouflage of Shirley, 3 acts, 

2y A hrs (35c) 8 10 

Civil Service, 3 acts, 2% hrs. 

(25c) 6 5 

College Town, 3 acts, 2J4 

hrs (25c) 9 8 

Daughter of the Desert, 4 

acts, 2^4 hrs (25c) 6 4 

Deacon Dubbs, 3 acts, 2*4 hrs. 

(25c) 5 5 

Deacon Entangled, 3 acts, 2 hrs. 

(25c) 6 4 

Down in Dixie, 4 acts, 2 x /2 

hrs (25c) 8 4 

Dream That Came True, 3 

acts, 2^ hrs (25c) 6 13 

Editor-in-Chief, 1 hr....(25c) 10 
Enchanted Wood, 1$4 h.(35c).Optnl. 
Everyyouth, 3 acts, \]/ 2 h.. (25c) 7 6 
Face at the Window, 3 acts, 2 

hrs (25c) 4 4 

Fifty-Fifty, 3 acts, 2 hrs. (35c) 6 8 
For the Love of Johnny, 3 

acts, 2J4 hrs .(35c) 6 3 

Fun on the Podunk Limited, 

iy 2 hrs (25c) 9 14 



M. F. 

Her Honor, the Mayor, 3 acts, 

2 hrs. (25c) 3 5 

High School Freshman, 3 acts, 

2 hrs (25c) 12 

Indian Days, 1 hr (50c) 5 2 

In Plum Valley, 4 acts, 2% 

hrs (25c) 6 4 

Jayville Junction, iy 2 hrs.(25c)14 17 
Kicked Out of College, 3 acts, 

214 hrs (25c) 10 9 

Kingdom of Heart's Content, 3 

acts, 2J4 hrs (25c) 6 12 

Lady of the Library, 3 acts, 2 

hrs .(25c) 5 10 

Laughing Cure, 2 acts, 1^4 hrs. 

(25c) 4 5 

Lighthouse Nan, 3 acts, 2%. 

hrs (25c) 5 4 

Little Buckshot, 3 acts, 2 1 /a hrs. 

(25c) 7 4 

Little Clodhopper, 3 acts, 2 

hrs (25c) 3 4 

Mirandy's Minstrels (25c) Optnl. 

Mrs. Tubbs Does Her Bit, 3 

acts, 2y A hrs (25c) 7 7 

Mrs. Tubbs of Shanty town, 3 

acts, 214 hrs (25c) 4 7 

Old Fashioned Mother, 3 acts, 

2^ hrs (25c) 6 6 

Old Maid's Club, \y 2 hrs. (25c) 2 16 
Old Oaken Bucket, 4 acts, 2 

hrs (25c) 8 6 

Old School at Hick'ry Holler, 

1% hrs (25c) 12 9 

On the Little Big Horn, 4 acts, 

2% hrs (25c) 10 4 

Poor Married Man, 3 acts, 2 

hrs (25c) 4 4 

Prairie Rose, 4 acts, 2^ h.(25c) 7 4 
Real Thing After All, 3 acts, 

2J4 hrs (35c) 7 9 

Rustic Romeo, 2 acts, 2^4 

hrs (25c) 10 12 

Ruth in a Rush, 3 acts, 2*4 

hrs. (35c) 7 9 

Safety First, 3 acts, 

2% hrs (25c) 5 5 

Savageland, 2 acts, 2 l / 2 hrs. (50c) 5 5 
Southern Cinderella, 3 acts, 2 

hrs (25c) 7 

Spark of Life, 3 acts, 

2 hrs (25c) 4 4 

Spell of the Image, 3 acts, 2^2 

hrs (25c) 10 1 

Stir Bright, 3 acts, 2V 2 h. (25c) 6 j 
Those Dreadful Twins, 3 acts, 

2 hrs (25c) 6 

Thread of Destinv, 3 acts, 2J4 

hrs '. (25c) 9 16 

Tonv, the Convict, 5 acts, 2 l / 2 

hrs (25c) 7 4 



HOW TO STAGE A 
PLAY 

A MANUAL 
For the Amateur Stage Director 

Illustrated 
by A $f 

Harry Osborne 

AUTHOR OF 

"When Smith Stepped Out, *' "The Deacon Entangled, 
"A Home Run** and "After the Play" 




CHICAGO 

T. S. DENISON & COMPANY 

Publishers 



"PH3155 

■en 



COPYRIGHT, 1919 

by 
T. S. DENISON 
& C OMPANY 



jffo?i; to Stage a Play 

©CU530794 



FOREWORD 

The production of plays by amateurs is not and 
should not be confined to Dramatic Clubs alone. 
Societies of a social or fraternal nature, in fact 
organizations of almost every description, find the 
productions of plays to be not only beneficial and 
broadening in self culture but a pleasure to their 
friends and the community in which they live as 
well as to themselves. It also affords a pleasant 
and effective means of raising money for charity, 
for depleted treasuries or any other worthy cause. 

In every social organization there will be found 
unsuspected histrionic ability as well as many who 
have a distinct talent for the stage. Acting or im- 
personation is a most natural impulse, inherent 
in greater or less degree, in all of us, even at a 
very early age. Who has not seen the child who 
''dresses up" and pretends to be somebody else? 
A considerable number of prominent actors and 
actresses of to-day, received their first training in 
amateur productions and can look back upon that 
Home Talent Entertainment as their first step- 
ping-stone to a successful and artistic career. 
Then too, amateurs have always been pioneers in 
the development of the drama. Not only in the 
Greek theatre, where the drama had its birth, but 
also in England and other European countries, 
new movements in the theatre have always been 
fostered by non-professionals. In America to-day 
there are a number of amateur organizations which 
are pointing the way to better plays, better acting 
and better theatres. The reason for this is evident. 
The professional stage is steeped in tradition and 
controlled by commercialism. The professional 



FOREWORD — Continued 

manager with his reputation and capital at stake 
and striving to please a rather fickle public, is nat- 
urally slow to break away from what is considered 
the tried and true; while the amateur with but 
little or nothing to lose and everything to gain can 
experiment with and test out all manner of un- 
tried theories. Many decided innovations in play- 
writing, acting, stage lighting, costuming and scen- 
ery now used in the professional theatres can be 
traced directly back to amateur productions. Since 
no art has a more potent influence in our national 
life than the art of the theatre, the production of 
plays by amateurs is a thing to be respected and 
encouraged. 

The question of doing a play comes up before 
many organizations and is voted down for fear it 
will not be a success. "What do we know about 
producing a play and who is going to coach us V ' 
is asked. There may be no one available in the 
community who is capable of coaching a perform- 
ance and the expense and trouble of employing a 
professional stage director from some other town 
is often out of the question. 

Now staging a play, while not an easy thing to 
do by any means, is not as difficult as ma}^ be sup- 
posed. As in every other undertaking which is 
worth while, knowing how to go about a thing is 
really half the battle. The rest consists in hard 
work. 

To assist the amateur who has had no experience 
as well as the one who has had some experience 
but is not sure of his ground, is the purpose for 
which this manual is written. 



CONTENTS 



Chapter I. A Successful Amateur Production 7 

The Play — The Company — Publicity. 

Chapter II. The Stage Director 8 

How Selected— Should He Play a Part?— His Staff 
and their Duties — The Stage Manager — The Property 
Man — The Stage Carpenter — Stage Hands — The 
Wardrobe Mistress — Responsibility and Authority. 

Chapter III. Preparation for Rehearsals 13 

Chapter IV. The Physical Stage 14 

Chapter V. Rehearsals 15 

The First Rehearsal — The Second Rehearsal — The 
Third Rehearsal — Rehearsal Without Parts. 

Chapter VI. Subsequent Rehearsals 19 

Tempo — Interruptions — Dialect Parts — Love 
Scenes — Doing Things Right — Reading Lines — Stage 
Business — In General. 

Chapter VII. Dress Rehearsals 24 

Chapter VIII. Musical Comedy 26 

Chapter IX. . The Opening Night 26 

Chapter X. Things to Remember 28 

Don 'ts. 

Chapter XI. Stage Lighting 29 

Chapter XII. Scenery 32 

Screens — Drapes. 

Chapter XIII. Make-up and Costumes 39 

Chapter XIV. Mechanical Effects 40 

Chapter XV. Glossary of Stage Terms 42 

5 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 



CHAPTER I 



A Successful Amateur Production 



There are four things that go to make up a suc- 
cessful amateur theatrical performance : the play, the 
company of actors, publicity and the stage director. 
George Bernard Shaw mentions a fifth ingredient when 
he refers to the audience as being "successful" or oth- 
erwise, and there is no doubt that the audience plays 
a big part in the success or failure of a play ; but as 
we cannot select our audiences very well, we must 
merely do our best to please them. 

The Plan "^ n orc ^ er *° please a mixed audience, 

the play should have as nearly as 
possible a universal appeal. That is, it should, in its 
various scenes, appeal to young and old, to both men 
and women, to those who go to laugh and those who 
go to weep. But in selecting the proper play, the com- 
pany of players must also be kept in mind. It is not 
a good plan to have many of the company "double," 
that is, play more than one part. If there is a difficult 
role, be sure that you have a player who is capable of 
playing it satisfactorily. One part badly played will dis- 
tract the attention of the audience and ruin the per- 
formance. Select a play that can be properly cast, 
that is worth doing and doing well. Avoid the so-called 
"problem plays" and those containing long, emotional 
roles. 

r In making up your company favor 

Ine Company those who have had some experience. 
Choose those who will attend rehearsals regularly and 
are willing to work for the success of the play as a 

7 



8 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

whole. Beware of those who always find an excuse to 
drop out just before the opening night. 

p ,,. . The importance of publicity, or the 

Publicity WQrk of the presg agentj is often over _ 

looked in amateur theatricals. Too much dependence is 
placed upon the members of the company in interesting 
their friends and relatives. Now no one would deny the 
amateur actor the pleasure of having his friends and 
relatives see him perform, but to bring out the best 
histrionic ability that is in him, he must play before a 
packed house, before strangers as well as friends, and 
to this end the press agent works. He gets the people 
into the theatre. No matter how good a thing may be, 
people must be told about it. There is a book published 
called The Press-Agent's Handbook, by Frederick G. 
Johnson, which is invaluable in amateur theatricals. 

In passing let us remark that there are two kinds 
of success for which to strive. Artistic success, which 
depends largely upon what the stage director is able 
to produce from the play and the players, and commer- 
cial success, which depends largely upon the press agent. 
If the performance is an artistic success and few people 
attend, it is a failure and the company and promoters 
are dissatisfied. If it is a commercial success and a 
poor, uneven performance is given, it is again a failure 
because the audience feels it has been cheated. 



CHAPTER II 



The Stage Director 



The professional stage director occupies a most im- 
portant position in the theatrical world. He receives 
but little publicity and is almost unknown outside of 
his own profession. As a rule you will find his name 
in small type in the program, for the glory goes to the 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 9 

actor and few people realize how important a part he 
has played in the production. Many times, by arduous 
and painstaking labor, he has snatched success from 
failure and made a seemingly impossible play into a 
huge success. Oftentimes he practically re-writes a play 
at rehearsals. Many managers consult with their stage 
directors before deciding to produce a play at all, rely- 
ing upon their judgment. The average salary of 
a first-class professional stage director is five hundred 
dollars a week. If he has six or eight weeks in which 
to make a production, well and good. If in an emer- 
gency he has but two weeks, he works night and day 
almost without sleep and forces the company to work 
up to their limit. How important this branch of the 
theatrical business is may be realized from the fact 
that David Belasco, manager and playwright, stages 
his own plays. Of course he has a number of capable 
assistants, but every detail of the production passes 
under his discriminating eye and the final rehearsals 
are under his personal direction. Richard Mansfield, a 
great actor, never intrusted the production of his plays 
to any one else. After rehearsals had passed a prelim- 
inary stage, he always took active charge himself. Fre- 
quently he was known to try out a dozen or more actors 
in a seemingly unimportant role, until he found one 
who could play the part just the way he knew it should 
be done. But the faculty for business management or 
acting is seldom combined with the ability to stage a 
production, and this has made a place for the profes- 
sional stage director who does nothing else. In the 
theatre his authority is supreme, his word is law. 

There are no hard and fast rules to follow in pro- 
ducing a play. Each play presents an individual prob- 
lem. The successful stage director is one who uses his 
head at all times, is original, resourceful, creative, keenly 
observant and knows enough of human nature so that 
he can direct the people under him in a way to bring 
out the best that is in them. 



10 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

Row Selected. Other things being equal, it is well 
Should He Plan ^° se ^ ec ^ as stage director some one 
a Part? °^ y° ur company who has had some 

experience in directing a perform- 
ance. But experience alone should not outweigh certain 
other qualifications which we have enumerated below: 

He should be a good disciplinarian. 

He should have the courage of his convictions, so 
that when he knows he is right he goes ahead in spite 
of opposition. 

He should be a close student, never satisfied until 
he is at the bottom of a thing. 

He should never be satisfied with "good enough' ' 
but always strive for perfection. 

He must be an indefatigable worker and possess un- 
limited patience, for his patience will be sorely tried. 

He must be a diplomatist and also understand hu- 
man nature well enough to know when to criticize, when 
to encourage and when merely to suggest. He must 
be resourceful. During rehearsals he will run into 
many seemingly blind alleys and must know when to 
back out gracefully and when to find or make a way out. 
The stage director, in an amateur production, should 
not be burdened with a long or important role. If he 
plays at all, it should be a short, unimportant part, but 
it is better to free him from this responsibility entirely. 

His Staff ^^ e manuscr ipt or printed play is to 

and Their Duties *J e s { a S e director much the same as 
the plans and specifications are to the 
builder of a house. It is a foundation upon which he 
builds a finished performance that reflects life as the 
author sees it, 

~ At once or very soon after rehearsals 

Ihe btage are Parted the stage director should 

Manager select an assistant or stage manager. 

He is the stage director's mouthpiece as it were and 
sees that his ideas are carried out. He acts as prompter 
during rehearsals and at performances and as we go 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 11 

along we will mention many ways in which he may be 

used. 

_ 7 „ , r A property man must be appointed 

The Property Mem tQ supply ^ look after flU ^^ 

or "props'" as they are called which are used in the 
play. He is given a list of the properties needed for 
each act and must supply them. He distributes them 
before and during a performance and collects them 
afterwards. Properties must always be in the proper 
place at the proper time. A missing "prop" can easily 
ruin an otherwise flawless performance. In an exciting 
scene a character opens a drawer where a revolver is 
supposed to be and there is no revolver, or the revolver 
has not been loaded with a blank cartridge and the 
villain does not know whether to drop dead or not. A 
servant enters the scene to deliver an important letter 
and has to go back after it. These and other disas 
will be avoided by having a reliable property man who 
understands and takes his work seriously. He 
attends to mechanical and off stage effects, as for exam- 
ple the galloping horseman, the more modern horn of 
the automobile, the slamming of a door, the ringing of 
a bell. etc. 

, - The stage carpenter should be en- 

ine otage dowed with some mechanical ingenu- 

Larpe nter -^ He is f lim j s ] iei ] ^th a scene plot 

showing just how each act or scene is to be set. He sets 
the stage, sees that things fit. and when the scene is 
"struck" or taken down has it laid away in order for 
resetting, keeping each act in separate "packs" as they 
are called. A place for everything and everything in 
its place is his motto. 

Stage Hands ^ ma ^ v a1iS0 ^ e necessai T * select one 

or more persons, depending of course 
upon how elaborate the production is to be. to act as 
stage hands. They will work under the direction of the 
stage carpenter and help him shift the scenery, furni- 
ture, etc. A man should be appointed to raise and lower 



12 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

the curtain and unless the lighting effects are too intri- 
cate, can also handle the switchboard. He is furnished 
with a list of cues for curtain and lights. He raises 
the curtain on signal from the stage manager and low- 
ers it slowly or quickly (as the case may be) promptly 
on getting his cue. The stage manager should signal 
the raising and lowering of the curtain with two bells, 
the first bell one minute in advance as a warning and 
the second bell to go. He lowers the house lights and 
throws in the stage lights and foots before the curtain 
is raised. When the curtain is lowered and curtain calls 
have been taken, he raises the house lights and lowers 
the foots, giving the audience to understand that the 
act is over. 

rh w J h Unless the play is a musical comedy 
Jjie Wardrobe QV a romant i c drama with frequent 
Mistress changes of costume, it will not be 

necessary to appoint a wardrobe mistress. Each per- 
former will be able to take care of his own wardrobe. 
If, however, costumes are rented or borrowed, they 
should be placed in charge of one person who will see 
that they are properly distributed, taken care of and 
returned in the same order in which they were received. 
The stage director should clearly define the duties of 
each of his assistants and thereby avoid any misunder- 
standings. If the duties of each one is written out, no 
one can offer the excuse that he thought some one else 
was expected to do what he forgot, Excuses do not 
excuse in a theatrical performance. Every contingency 
must be provided for in advance. Things must be done 
right, not once, but over and over again with clock-like 
precision, in order to insure a finished performance. 

Responsibility The s ^f e + dir / ctor a fl ssume * entir / re ' 
and Authority sponsibihty *>r a finished perform- 
ance and thereiore he must be given 
complete authority. Emerson has said something to the 
effect that there can be no responsibility without au- 
thority, and this applies with full force to the stage 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 13 

director. In all matters pertaining to the performance, 
his authority must be supreme. If given full sway he 
cannot offer excuses. Re must not. however, allow this 
temporary authority to turn his head, for it is only 
during rehearsals and at actual performances that this 
authority is his. Xo one person can think of everything, 
and if he is tactful he will receive and graciously ac- 
knowledge suggestions from any member of the company 
when he sees that they are to benefit the performance. 



CHAPTER III 



Preparation for Rehearsals 



The stage director will make it easier for his com- 
pany, and also lighten his own work considerably, if 
he will study carefully the printed play before calling 
Is. Let him. as soon as the play has been se- 
1 1. get off' by himself and go over the play care- 
fully, trying in his imagination to visualize each scene. 
Undoubtedly he has already had something to say in 
the choice of the play, but this is not enough. He cannot 
indulge in too much preliminary study in order to famil- 
iarize himself with the characters and situations. In 
the modern printed play, complete stage directions and 
business are usually given and these should be closely 
followed. In many so-called "Reading Plays" the stage- 
directions are incomplete or inaccurate, which necessi- 
tates much extra work before and during rehearsals. 

Knowing the members of his company and some- 
thing of their histrionic ability, the stage director should 
go over the cast of his play, weighing carefully the abili- 
ties and personalities of the different members and 
assign the parts tentatively. But let him keep this 
flexible as changes will undoubtedly have to be made 
after rehearsals have started. 



14 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 



CHAPTER IV 



The Physical Stage 



Let us now assume that the stage director has been 
chosen and address our subsequent remarks directly to 
him. 

PROSCENIUM ARCH 




FRONT CURTAIN 



FIR5T BORDER 



TOP FLAT 




BACK FLAT 

R.CE. C ENTRANCE L.CE. 



fU 



A* 






UP c. 

CENTER 
DOWN CENTER 




UP U.C. 

L c^u-^*. 



R.I.E. 



CURTAIN LINE 



L.I.E 



PROSCENIUM 

Stage settings are roughly divided into two classes, 
interior and exterior. Today, interior settings are al- 
ways boxed, that is, enclosed on three sides, as though 
one wall of a room had been removed. In the accom- 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 15 

panying sketch or diagram, an interior setting is shown 
with the proper names for the different entrances and 
stage positions. You must learn these names and what 
they mean at once, for when you start rehearsals you 
are to tell each player just where to enter and exit and 
just where to stand and move during the time he is on 
the scene. These are the professional stage terms. They 
are simple and when once understood will save time 
and needless explanations. 

Up stage means away from the audience and down 
stage means towards the audience. The terms right and 
left are always used as the player faces the audience. 
Center is abbreviated C. Right is abbreviated R. Left 
is abbreviated L. Up is abbreviated U. Down is ab- 
breviated D. Right First Entrance is abbreviated R.l.E. 
Right Second Entrance is abbreviated R.2.E. Right 
Third Entrance is abbreviated R.3.E. Right Upper En- 
trance is abbreviated R.U.E. The same terms for stage 
positions and entrances also apply to an exterior setting. 



CHAPTER V 



Rehearsals 



The length of time required for rehearsals depends 
somewhat upon the nature of the play. Rehearsals for 
a Musical Comedy should be called eight weeks in ad- 
vance of the opening performance. For a three or four 
act play consuming two, or two and one-half hours pla} r - 
ing time, five or six weeks should be ample. A one act 
play will require two or three weeks preparation. There 
is but little danger of amateur players going "stale" 
before performance. If you should find this to be the 
case, however, you have simply to omit a few rehearsals 
before the final week, or have them practice on make-up. 
In calling your first rehearsal, impress upon the mem- 
bers of your company the importance of their being 



16 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

on hand promptly. One person who is late or who has 

forgotten his part holds all the others back. Each 

member of your company should have a copy of the 

printed play. 

Th ip- + When your company has assembled, 

l he Hirst tell them that yQU fed deeply the 

rehearsal responsibility you have been asked to 

assume and ask them to be patient with you as you are 
going to be with them. You are confident that with 
everyone working in harmony and doing their best, 
they are going to give the finest amateur performance 
ever presented in the community. Assign the differ- 
ent parts as best you can, explaining that you may make 
changes later. Then have the company read the play 
aloud, each one reading the part you have assigned him. 
Do not excuse anyone from this reading, no matter how 
small a role they have, as it will give them an idea of 
the play as a whole. When the reading of the play is 
finished explain to them the meaning of the word ' ' cue. ' ' 
Now a cue is not merely the three or four last words 
in a line or speech; it may be a noise on the stage or 
off, or it may be a piece of business, but there is a cue 
before every line the actor speaks. The three im- 
portant things to impress upon your company regarding 
cues are, that they must be learned as thoroughly 
as they learn the lines of their part, they must be given 
distinctly so that the actor who follows can make no 
mistake, they must be taken up promptly or the per- 
formance will drag and lack verisimilitude. 

As your company reads the play, note carefully how 
all the words are pronounced. If you have the slightest 
doubt as to the correct pronunciation of a word, make 
a note of it and look it up before the next rehearsal. 
Have no argument about pronunciation. Look them 
up and be positive. Your company will respect you for 
it. You may find when the first reading of the play 
is finished that you can make advantageous changes in 
your cast already, and if so, notify the players affected 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 17 

so that they may begin to study their new part at once. 
Before dismiss g the rehearsal, tell the company 
the next rehearsal is to be. Tell them to read over 
their parts, trying to get into the spirit of the char- 
acter and underline their cues. Instruct each one to 
come to the second rehearsal provided with a pencil. 
Borrowing or passing around a pencil wastes :ime and 
each one must have a pencil to jot down ss, em- 

phasis, and so forth in his copy of the play as you point 
it out. Arrange your subsequent rehearsals so that all 
can be present. About four rehearsals a week from 
eight to ten-thirty o'clock in the evening should be 
sufficient. 

~ , If possible, conduct vour rehearsals 

1 Second ^ the theatre or hall "where the play 

rsal is to be given. If you have a choice 

of stages, select a large one. a small cramped stage is 
more difficult to manage. This is not necessary, but is 
a help to people unaccustomed to the stage. Before 
starting your second rehearsal, make up your stage 

you can with chairs. ; :: a r other movable ar: 
to represent entrances, tables, davenports, chairs or 
whatever the scene you are doing may call for. If in 
the first act there is a door at Center and another at 

E.. place two articles at each entrance, explaining 
what they represent, and have the players enter and 
exit between them. Let two or three chairs in a row 
represent a davenport, and so forth- Thi- - 
players some idea of the relative positions and dis- 
tances. You are now ready to have your company * * walk 
through" their parts, that is, they will read their g 
from the printed play, but enter the scene and rail 
sit down, rise or cross stage indicate. When 

you tell them to do something not shown in the print 
play, have them write it in their copy with a [ 
and make a corresponding notation in your own copy. 
Take them up on mispronounced words — they cannot get 
them right too soon. All these things take time and you 



18 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

may not get very far into the play during this rehearsal. 
You may not be able to do more than the first act at 
the second rehearsal. 

The Third Begin your third rehearsal where 

Rehearsal ^ ou fished before. Always set your 

stage as you did at the second re- 
hearsal, or better, let your stage manager see to it. Con- 
duct the third rehearsal about as you did the second, 
keeping away from detail, but watching for mispro- 
nounced words. After your company has "walked 
through' 7 the entire play once, you should be able to 
determine upon the ultimate casting. Keep this con- 
stantly in mind during the first rehearsals, for the 
sooner your cast is fixed the better. 

Rehearsal After five or six rehearsals, depend- 

Without Parts in 2 naturally on how well you are 
getting along, inform your company 
that there are only so many more weeks for rehearsals 
and that they must begin to learn their parts. Instruct 
them to come to the next rehearsal prepared to go 
through the first act without parts. Some of them will 
immediately protest that this cannot be done and you 
will have to insist upon it. 

You are now in the fifth or sixth rehearsal and doing 
at least one act without parts. All of your attention 
must now be directed to the players, so turn your marked 
copy of the play over to your stage manager and let 
him act as prompter. He must follow the dialogue 
carefully to see that nothing is left out and nothing 
is put in or changed except as you direct. If you are 
using a regular stage for rehearsals, leave the stage 
to the players and direct operations from a place two 
or three rows back of the orchestra pit. Here you can 
obtain a better perspective of the stage picture you 
are trying to paint, and as you move about in the audi- 
torium you can criticize it from every angle and also 
judge how well your company is going to be heard on 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 19 

the opening night. As soon as your company can do 
an act without parts, begin to teach the business of 
that act. Have them go through all motions and handle 
all articles in pantomime as though they were actually 
using them. 



CHAPTER VI 



Subsequent Rehearsals 



When your company is letter perfect in one acr. 
start them in learning the next. As soon as they can 
go through the entire play without parts, and you find 
that you can run through the entire play at one re- 
hearsal, you can begin to pay some attention to the 
tempo of the piece. 

f emvo A farce or musical comedy should be 

played about as fast as you can drive 
them through it. It must be done so fast that the audi- 
ence, on the opening night, will not have time to think 
how ridiculous it all is and instead merely enjoy it. 
Bear in mind that a farce to be successful must be 
played seriously, the more seriously the better. To the 
characters in a farce nothing is funny, to the audience 
everything is or should be. A comedy must be done 
briskly without a single let down except in sentimental 
scenes which must be taken a little slower. A serious 
drama or tragedy must be played not slowly but im- 
pressively. It sets people to thinking and wondering 
what they would do in like circumstances and the points 
must get home. Form the habit of holding your watch 
on each act so that you can judge how long each act 
should take. 

Interrimtions Xo longer Stop the rehearsal to let 

1 v any player go back to repeat a speech 

or a piece of business. Correct them, if wrong, but let 

them remember to do it right the next time. Do not 



20 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

allow anyone in the company or outside to interrupt your 
rehearsal. Keep each member of your cast in the char- 
acter he is playing. Suggestions and remarks from them 
must be reserved until after rehearsal. 

Dialect Parts ■"■* * s difficult for some people to mem- 

orize a dialect part. If you should 
find that any of your company are confronted with this 
difficulty, have them resort to the method used by pro- 
fessional actors and re-write the part in good English. 
Learn it and then gradually transform it into dialect. 

Love Scenes # if only natural that amateurs 

should be embarrassed m doing love 
scenes. It is up to you to overcome this feeling at the 
start by making them go about it in a business-like 
manner without any foolishness or tittering. No rules 
should be laid down regarding the position, standing, 
sitting or embracing of the loving couple. Have them 
try different positions until you feel sure it will convey to 
the audience the feeling to be expressed and also makes 
a pleasing picture. Thus studying the matter out with 
them will, in itself, go far in dissipating any embar- 
rassment they may feel. Eemember that while in real 
life people usually make love awkwardly, on the stage 
it should be idealized and done above all things grace- 
fully. The exception to this, of course, is the love scenes 
between comic characters. The more awkward and 
ludicrous they are, the better. 

Doing Things g a 7° thin S s d ™ e ri 2 ht % rehearsals. 

Riaht y are n ne ri §' n * a ^ renears " 

als, they will never be done right on 

the opening night. Have them done right each time, 
over and over again. This is the only method to in- 
sure a smooth, even performance. Never permit any 
player to tell you that they "know just how" to say 
or do a thing and they will "do it right at perform- 
ance. " They won't. Make them show you. If a char- 
acter enters the scene after what is supposed to be a 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 21 

hard climb or a long run, do not let him stroll in. See 
that he is out of breath and shows every evidence of 
what he has been doing. 

Reading Lines ^° not ^.your players recite their 
lines or give them m a sing-song 
manner. See that they bring out in their reading the 
exact and entire meaning. Hold up as a criterion be- 
fore each spoken line the way that line would be spoken 
in real life, allowing of course for the limitations of 
the stage. Some exaggeration is, of course, necessary. 
Misplaced emphasis on a single word will twist all the 
meaning out of a line. Have them underline the word 
to be emphasized. 

Stage Business The ac £ tion <? f a P la 5~ is P ust the PP " 
site oi a three-ring circus, m that 

only one principal scene or situation occupies the atten- 
tion of the audience at one time. Have your important 
scenes acted somewhere across the center of the stage 
where everyone in the house may easily see and hear 
what is going on. When a character is no longer active 
m the scene but is still on the stage, have him move 
up stage and do nothing to distract attention from the 
scene being played. If a number of characters are 
inactive, get them up stage and have them converse 
in dumb show. There used to be an old rule that an 
actor should never turn his back to his audience, but 
the modern stage strives for naturalness, and there is 
no reason why an actor should not turn his back to his 
audience when occasion requires. 

Do not allow your players to stare at or ogle each 
other unless it means something. We stare at a per- 
son in surprise or when we are trying to read their 
thoughts, we ogle a person when we are trying to 
draw them out or when we want to note the effect upon 
them of what we are saying, but in casual conversation 
we look at them and away from them. You must make 
the eyes of your players behave. If they look at some- 



22 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

thing they should not look at, the eyes of the audience 
will follow theirs and the effect of the scene will be 
spoiled. 

Strive to have your players talk and act as naturally 
as the limitations of the stage will permit. Here is 
an example of poor stage management. In a recent 
metropolitan production, an actress playing a minor 
part was seated up stage conversing in dumb show with 
her partner after a dance in the adjoining ballroom. 
She was fanning herself languidly in a most natural 
manner when suddenly an exciting scene began to take 
place down stage between the principal characters. It 
was the climax of the third act — the situation was tense 
— people in the audience were holding on to their chairs. 
But our lady with the fan did not allow it to interrupt 
her conversation nor disturb the rhythmical sweep of 
her fan. She might as well have been a thousand miles 
away so far as any effect upon her was concerned. The 
writer was upon the stage at the time, and after the 
curtain came down the things the stage manager said 
to her would not be allowed in print. Anyone in the 
audience observing her would realize at- once that he 
was not seeing a slice of real life but was merely sitting 
at a play. 

If there is a long stretch of dialogue between two 
or more characters, you may find it expedient to have 
the characters change position or cross stage in order 
to relieve any monotony. But be careful about this 
and do not let them move about aimlessly. Give them 
something to do in order to make their movements ap- 
pear natural. Remember every movement on the stage 
means something. 

Rehearse ' ' stage falls ' ' carefully so that they will look 
effective but not injure your players. The knees give 
way first and the body falls forward. Either at the 
beginning or when part way down the arms go up and 
the impact of the fall must be taken on the palms of 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 23 

the bands. Practice this yourself so you can show 
them. 

Amateurs are prone to make a complete turn instead 
of a half turn. You must guard against this. For 
example : a character is facing the audience at R. C. 
and gets his cue to exit at Center Door. Instead of let- 
ting him make a full turn to his right and going up 
to Center Door, be sure that he makes a half turn to 
his left. Or again, a character is standing at R. C. 
with back to audience when another character standing 
at Center speaks to him. The character at R. C. should 
face the speaker by making a half turn to his right 
instead of a full turn to his left. In passing a table, 
piano,, chair or other article of furniture do not le; 
your players grasp for support or put out their hand 
and pivot around it. Do not let them do anything with 
their hands unless the gesture has some significance 
which you wish conveyed to the audience. Economy 
of motion and gesture must be your watchword. 

Another common failing of amateurs when they have 
a line to speak with an accompanying piece of business. 
is to perform the business and then speak the line, which. 
of course, breaks the continuity and is unnatural. The 
business and line should be given together simultane- 
ously. Watch out for this for it will surely occur. 

When a character sits facing the audience, never 
allow him to cross his limbs so that the sole of his 
shoe is visible to the audience. This is one of the limi- 
tations of the stage. True it is that people cross their 
limbs often with entire propriety in actual life, but 
the audience is below the level of the stage and the sole> 
of people's shoes are not pleasant to look at. 

r In working out your stage pictures. 

In (j-eneral business, etc.. do not allow yourself 

to be hampered by tradition or the way you have seen 
things done on the professional stage. They may often 
have been done badly. Be creative and resourceful and 
bear i?i mind that amateurs have always been pioneers 



24 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

in the dramatic field. The drama is growing every day 
in simplicity and naturalness and you have a wonderful 
opportunity to experiment with different ways of doing 
things until you feel that you have found what is most 
effective. For example : we have all seen professional 
performances in which every character just before the 
exit, breaks his closing speech, reserving the last few 
words until he has reached his point of exit and then 
turns, delivers his closing words and walks off. Now 
in certain situations this is, of course, effective and of 
value, but resorted to at every exit, it becomes valueless 
and terribly hackneyed. Conduct your rehearsals in an 
authoritative, decisive manner. When ready to begin 
exclaim "first act" or whatever act it is. "Places," the 
players who are to be discovered on the scene take their 
positions and those who are shortly to enter stand ready 
at their respective entrances "Go" and the rehearsal 
starts. 



CHAPTER VII 



Dress Eehearsals 



The final or dress rehearsals should be conducted the 
same as a regular performance. That is, the company 
wear complete make-up and costumes, the scenes are 
set correctly and in detail, all properties are on hand 
and used, the lighting is done as carefully as at per- 
formance, nothing is left over for the opening night. 

The number of dress rehearsals necessary varies ac- 
cording to the nature of the piece you are producing. 
One or two dress rehearsals just before the opening night 
should be sufficient for a modern three or four act play. 
A costume play or musical comedy will probably require 
three or four dress rehearsals. 

To accustom your players to the ordeal of the open- 
ing night, conduct your dress rehearsals with the pre- 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 25 

n of a regular performance. Have the 8 
for the first act in advance. Instruct your p. 
to be in the theatre at seven o'clock, in time to make 
up. dress and be to go on at eight-fifteen. At 

-end the stage manager to the dih .- 

-hng rooms. Hr is to knock on each door and call 
"half hour." By this your players know that they 
have a half fa : tc _ rture. At 

five minv.tes of eight he again makes the rounds of the 
i —- ing rooms, calling "fifteen minutes. "' At eight-ten 
he makes a final trip to the dressing rooms, calling 

srture." This means that everybody who is to 

sar early in the act is to be on the stage at once. 
The overture begins. Yon stand down Center with 

: to the ; nd inspect the -^ne earefull 

see that everything is set properly and that the lighting 
is sorrect Just before the overture is finished you 

:.v" and everyone not concerned in the opening 
scene hurries off into the wings. "Places" the pla; 

id ready at their appointed places. r 'n the last note 
of the overture the electrician throws in the footlights 
the house lights go down. As you walk off the stage 
the curtain rises and the act is on. "When the last line 
of the act has been spoken, the stage manager rings 
down the curtain. "Strike/' he exclaims, the actors 
go to their dressing rooms to change and the carpenter 
with his assistants takes down the scene, if it is to be 
changed for the next act, and proceeds t: set the new 
scene. There will probably be curtain calls after the 
second act and they should be rehearsed two or tl 
times. 

Avoid long waits between the acts at the 3 
hearsals as you will have to during actual performanc - 
Nothing will chill an audience into indifference quicker 
than lonsr waits. They are the death knell of any per- 
formance. Go through each act in the same manner as 
the first, on schedule and when it is over, go over your 
ss and have corrections ma 



26 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

CHAPTER VIII 



Musical Comedy 



The first step in producing a musical comedy is to 
teach your company the songs. Have them gather 
around the piano and learn the songs by heart. Re- 
hearse the chorus separately and after they have learned 
the songs, teach them the steps, evolutions, groupings 
and so forth. Rehearse separately the principals in 
their solos and duets. Alternate these rehearsals so 
that you can utilize their time and your own to the 
best advantage. As soon as the musical part of your 
play is well under way, begin on the dialogue or dra- 
matic portion of the piece. Not until these three parts 
of your play have progressed sufficiently so that they 
can go through without halting, can you begin to weld 
them together. Here is an important thing. When 
your chorus is in the background during a scene be- 
tween the principals, do not let them stand stock still 
as though they were painted on the back drop. Keep 
them in the scene, have them show surprise, delight, 
horror and make comment among themselves at what 
is transpiring in the scene before them. This welding 
process will be something of a grind for all concerned, 
musical numbers, dialogue and business must all be 
deftly joined without a perceptible break, but at last 
you and the company can begin to see what the finished 
piece is going to look like and you will find it to be 
interesting and enthusiastic work. When the time for 
dress rehearsal arrives, conduct them in the same man- 
ner as described in previous chapter. 



CHAPTER IX 



The Opening Night 



If you have never experienced the ordeal of an Open- 
ing Night, you have a distinct thrill in store for you. 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 27 

You have followed the advice given in the foregoing 
pages and your work is now done. If it is not done it 
is now too late to "fix" anything. What remains for 
you now, is to keep cool, be watchful and preserve the 
same attitude you have maintained at rehearsals. In- 
wardly, you are of course excited and over anxious but 
do not let your company or stage crew see it. 

You have entered the theatre probably slightly in ad- 
vance of the company. The stage is being set for the 
first act. Everything is as it was during your dress 
rehearsals, except that presently those empty rows of 
seats are going to be filled with an eager throng of 
people who have paid money to see what kind of a 
piece of work you can turn out. Speak an encouraging 
word to every one concerned in the production— they 
are nervous too and need it. Let them see that you are 
smiling and confident and your attitude will go far in 
steadying them. Go about your work in the most 
methodical manner. Have the electrician or man who 
works the lights, try them out for you, see that your 
stage manager calls half hour, fifteen minutes and over- 
ture on time. Shatter the precedent if you can that 
amateur performances are always late in starting. See 
that your stage manager has your marked copy of the 
play to use in prompting. Inspect carefully the make- 
up and dressing of each member of your company as 
they appear upon the stage. A compliment here and 
there may not be amiss. 

The overture is being played. A buzz of conversa- 
tion amounting almost to a roar comes to your ears. 
You look out through the curtain and find (let us hope) 
that empty, dark and silent house which for weeks has 
been your workshop, brilliantly lighted and filled with 
people rustling programs, and all talking at once. In 
a moment they will be plunged in darkness and your 
stage bathed in light. It was Richard Mansfield who 
said that the dark, silent, expectant house at the rise 
of the curtain always seemed to him like a great black 



28 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

bear ready to spring upon and devour him if he did 
not please. 

The orchestra has about done its duty to the overture. 
You inspect the scene, it is complete. ' ' Clear, " those 
not concerned in the scene hurry off; "places," your 
company stand in readiness; "go," as you walk to the 
wings. The footlights go up and the house lights down, 
the curtain rises, disclosing your work for the first 
time to public approval. 



CHAPTER X 



Things to Remember 



Leave nothing for the opening night — prepare for 
and rehearse everything in advance. 

Avoid long waits between the acts— nothing will so 
dampen the ardor of an audience. 

Cues must always be given distinctly and taken up 
quickly. 

Always be courteous but firm. No matter what your 
position in life outside the theatre is, your authority 
is supreme in preparing a production. 

Always be prompt yourself at rehearsals, set a good 
example. 

, Never lose your temper. 

Never argue with members of your 
company or stage crew. Be sure you are right and then 
have your own way. 

Never accept the excuse that such and such a thing 
will be ready or done right on the opening night. 

Do not try to see how sarcastic you can be at re- 
hearsals. 

Do not work your players too hard by prolonging 
rehearsals, rather provide for a sufficient number. 

Do not try to do everything yourself — throw every- 
thing you consistently can upon your assistants. 

If there is a mirror used on the stage, place it at an 
angle where it will not reflect anyone in the audience. 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 
CHAPTER XI 



Stage Lighting 



In addition to directing and coaching the players 
you will also have to give considerable attention to the 
important matter of lighting. If you are working on 
a stage fully equipped with electric lights, in charge of 
a capable electrician, you have open to you a most in- 
teresting and fascinating field of endeavor. If your 
stage is not adequately equipped, you should not at- 
tempt any intricate lighting effects but be content to 
do the best you can with the means and funds at your 
disposal, keeping in mind that your stage is a picture 
you have painted. You naturally want it shown to 
your audience in a favorable light, so you must stand 
off and study it under different effects of lighting. Da- 
vid Belasco once said: "Lights are to the drama 
what music is to the lyrics of a song. The greatest 
part of my success in the theatre. I attribute to my 
feeling for colors, translated into effects of light. 
You may have noticed that the eye of a person sitting 
in the dark is instinctively drawn to a bright light. 
This is the fundamental secret of stage lighting — of 
compelling the eyes of your audience to unconsciously 
focus when and where you wish them under your skillful 
manipulation of lights. 

How important this branch of stage-craft is. may be 
realized by going back briefly over the history of the 
stage from the time that plays were first given indoors 
and noting the effect which improved methods of light- 
ing have had not only upon the physical stage but 
also upon the drama and the art of acting. In the 
eighteenth century it was a difficult matter, using flick- 
ering candles and smoking oil lamps, to adequately light 
the stage. For this reason the stage was built to curve 
out into the audience, eighteen or twenty feet beyond 
the curtain. This projecting portion of the stage was 
called the "apron" and circled with footlights on three 



30 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

sides was illumined much better than that portion of 
the stage back of the curtain line. Naturally the actors 
in order to show to the audience their play of feature 
and change of expression, chose to act all their im- 
portant scenes out upon this apron. It is for this rea- 
son that the stage of those days is now referred to as 
the "platform stage.' ' Naturally the plays written for 
this stage were more oratorical, more bombastic and 
abounded in long soliloquies of self -revelation and many 
passages of rhetorical phrasing. It followed that the 
acting was done along broad, heroic lines, ranting we 
would call it to-day. When gas lighting was intro- 
duced into the theatres in the nineteenth century, fol- 
lowed by the lime light, the projecting apron began to 
shrink, and finally when the Edison electric light was 
born the apron receded until it coincided with the 
proscenium arch. It was no longer necessary or desir- 
able that the play should be acted in the midst of the 
audience. Every corner of the stage could be perfectly 
illumined and all the action of the play could take 
place back of the curtain line. This created a greater 
sense of illusion and made possible more subtlety in 
play construction and acting. So we have to-day what 
is called the "picture-frame stage" with every detail 
of the picture perfectly lighted. The soliloquy and the 
aside are no longer necessary and have been largely 
done away with. The whole art of the theatre has 
changed and become more true to life. 

A description of the mechanics of stage lighting writ- 
ten ten years ago is to-day more or less obsolete and a 
detailed account of the present methods would un- 
doubtedly be as hopelessly out of date ten years hence, 
for improvements are being made every day. In gen- 
eral, however, there are four ways of lighting the stage, 
by the footlights at the bottom or front of the stage, by 
the borders from above, by the portable strip and bunch 
lights from the sides and the spotlight from the gal- 
lery. Some reformers have of late condemned the foot- 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 31 

lights and an effort has been made to do away with 
them altogether. The apparent reason for this is that 
in times past, the footlights furnished the principal 
means of illumination, whereas at present they con- 
tribute to only a small part of it. Undoubtedly they 
will remain until something better is devised to take 
their place. 

Border lights consist of a row of incandescent bulbs 
spaced at regular intervals in an inverted metal trough. 
These troughs are placed above the stage and parallel 
to it from side to side. They can be raised or lowered. 
They are numbered starting from the front, first bor- 
der, second border, etc., and are from three to eight 
in number depending upon the depth of the stage. 

Strip and Bunch Lights. The strip light varies in 
length and is placed in many different positions. It is 
made by inserting a row of bulbs in a long narrow zinc 
box with hooks on the back by which it may be hung or 
placed at one side of an entrance, behind a low hedge, 
back of a fireplace or almost any place where occasion 
may demand. The bunch light consists of a large re- 
flector head studded with bulbs. The stand or base is 
portable and the head can be turned in different direc- 
tions. This makes a highly concentrated light and it has 
innumerable uses. Other variants of this form of light- 
ing are the flood light or open-faced arc, although in 
many of the newer theatres this has been supplanted 
by the thousand watt lamp which gives a powerful and 
steady radiance. 

The spotlight operated from the gallery is used for 
emphasis. By its use you can compel your audience 
to concentrate their attention upon an object, a char- 
acter or an entrance. Different effects of colors are 
obtained by colored slides. Belasco went even further 
and invented the baby spotlight, one for each character 
on the stage and a separate color effect for each one. 

The effects of color are obtained by the use of col- 
ored bulbs, amber, red, steel blue and dark blue in com- 



32 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

bination with clear ones. The flood and spotlights 
change color by the use of mediums or slides and by 
skillfully using the two forms of lighting in combina- 
tion almost any color or effect may be produced. Merely 
throwing a red light upon an object will not neces- 
sarily make it appear red. It depends upon the color 
of the object, the texture of the surface, polished or 
dull, and the strength of the light. You will have to 
experiment with the lighting equipment you possess 
upon the scenes you are using in order to get the proper 
tone color. Shadows upon the stage are, of course, to be 
avoided by having your stage well lighted from the front, 
from above and from the sides. Rehearse your lighting 
as you do your players, leaving nothing to chance on the 
opening night and you will be rewarded by the appre- 
ciation of your audience. 

CHAPTER XII 



Scenery 



Speaking in general, there are two kinds of scenery, 
representative and suggestive. By representative is 
meant, the showing of the thing as it actually is, as far 
as is practical and expedient; by suggestive, the show- 
ing of as little as is possible in actuality, but by stim- 
ulating the imagination of the beholder, making him 
visualize what you want him to see. There can be no 
doubt that greater illusion can be created in an audi- 
ence by the suggestive method and as illusion is the 
very essence of the theatre it would seem that this 
method was the most effective. But both of these meth- 
ods can be carried to the extreme and much depends 
upon the nature of the play. Needless to say the scen- 
ery should conform to the mood of the play. No mat- 
ter how fast and furious a farce might be, it would 
inevitably suffer by being played against an impres- 
sive and majestic scenic background. In the same man- 
ner a serious play or tragedy would lose weight if played 
in a musical comedy setting. 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 33 

David Belasco might be mentioned as the foremost ex- 
ponent of the representative method. Anyone who has 
seen his production of ' ' The Return of Peter Grimm" has 
probably realized that never before has he beheld quite 
such a stage setting. There was a door at the right leading 
to an adjoining room of which the audience could 
merely catch a glimpse as the door was opened but 
nevertheless this off stage room was completely fur- 
nished. To the audience it gave a sense of reality 
and it also kept the players "in the atmosphere." The 
argument advanced by the adherents of the other school 
is that .an intricate and realistic stage setting distracts 
the attention of the audience from the play itself and 
the acting. 

Gordon Craig has made long strides in the suggestive 
method of stage scenery and lighting and he has accom- 
plished some wonderful effects which are being used in 
greater or less degree in many theatres throughout the 
world. Against a dim, vague and shadowy background 
free from outline, he has the players move. The audience 
is conscious that the scene is a hall in a castle, a wide 
plain, a platform or whatever it may be, but they do 
not know why. They merely feel it and their atten- 
tion is concentrated upon the acting. Craig accom- 
plishes his effects in a simple but ingenious manner by 
the use of folding screens, drapes and concealed light- 
in *. 

As stage director, you must take inventory of the 
scenery your theatre contains and make an early de- 
cision as to what can be used in your play. The or- 
dinary theatre contains as a rule three kinds of scen- 
ery: drops, borders and flats. A drop is a painted 
curtain suspended from the flies and lowered not rolled 
as occasion requires. Borders are nothing but short 
drops and are used to represent sky, clouds, foliage and 
ceilings. Flats are light wooden frames with a brace 
at the back and covered with painted canvas or cloth. 
These flats are lashed together to form the three walls 



34 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 




■j 7 j 1 7 ^cenefrom O/cf-f/mMEWDRAMA.,. .. , \ 
An ota-styte setttnp mere realism runs not. 2*tie sane a^tit for s/cy- 

dropfds/ordc/orst^rerrugJyMd^oyysJAe seener^ofy/A/cA /Aerewas 
far too mvcA. aimed at realism 2>ut ran to extremes. 




but typical qf new ideas z/2 stage art. tzgttts tog/ye "cte/>tfi'to tie setting. 

The exfremein modern STAGE SETTING- 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 



35 




n .. ^. A SIMPLE EXTERIOR . ■ 

Ine type of sfaee-setrwa easily aaa^rec >s fc^se&i, Durs.&fesnd 



rail suwesfit Green Jur/cS :;-. ha - ypi^i ■ 'Toe *r: //'z. s & 7W ?\ J&Se 



r:v v-:^^/^^/;^^ ^07/^^771. reject gnriz. j ^eartf/reu 




36 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

of a room or interior and contain doors, windows and 
other openings as needed. The top flat is lowered from 
the flies to form the ceiling. 

A ground-cloth is needed to cover the floor, usually 
green in color for an exterior scene and for an interior, 
a brown or grey upon which rugs may be spread. It 
should be tacked securely at the entrances to preclude 
the possibility of a player tripping. 

In many of the older theatres, wings are still used 
in place of the more modern flats. These consist of from 
four to six upright pieces of scenery on either side of 
the stage, set in rows from front to back. They are 
slid upon the scene in grooves on the floor and in slots 
above. Instead of doors, the characters enter between 
the different grooves. It is from this old device that 
the expression originated of saying that an act was 
played in one, two, three, or four, meaning the dis- 
tance back on the stage which marked the boundary of 
the scene. It is also responsible for the numbering of 
the entrances, E. 1 E. (Right first entrance) and so 
forth, which custom is still in vogue. 

Should you have no choice but to use a theatre or 
hall equipped with the old fashioned wings or with 
scenery so worn and old fashioned as to threaten the 
success of your plaj^, scenery which perhaps every one 
in the community has seen hundreds of times, it will be 
expedient for you to see what you can do with the fold- 
ing screens or drapes, the "new way" as it is called. 
In general you will find it easier to use screens for in- 
teriors and drapes for exteriors, although no rule should 
be laid down in this respect. 

~ Secure the services of a carpenter or 

screens someone handy with tools and build 

some light wooden frames and cover them with dark 
colored muslin or cotton flannel. You will have to de- 
termine their height and width by the size of your 
stage. They should be high enough to reach up to the 
borders, if not you will be obliged to place a drop be- 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 



37 



hind them to cut off the vision of your audience. In 
width they should be about four or five feet. If you 
make them too wide, you will have to make them heavier 
or they will be too flimsy. They should be hinged in 
twos and threes and each one should have a brace hinged 
onto the back so that they will stand upright when the 
lower end of the brace is screwed to the floor. In Fig- 
ure I a screened interior is suggested, consisting of 
four screens, two screens at the back and extending 
down the sides made in three pieces and hinged together 
and a screen on either side made of two pieces hinged 
together. This combination can be changed about to 
make a room of many different shapes. Note that a 
backing is required above the door at centre but that 
the entrances at the sides are made so that the audience 
cannot see bevond them. 




FIGURE I. 



Drapes 



A simple draped interior is shown in 
Figure II. The drapes should be of 
plain, dark colored material, brown, grey or green pre- 
ferred, and should hang in loose folds from wire or 



38 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 




INDICATES W/RE 

*> DRAPERY 




F/GURE Z. 



poles from the flies. They should be weighted or fas- 
tened at the bottoms to keep them from swaying. Doors 
and windows are formed by leaving a seam open and 
drawing back the folds. A backing, of course, is re- 
quired at all openings. 



iWW&WWtfVWi^^VUWtJWM^ 




//VD/CAT£5 W/RE 

jwuww it i, DRAPERY 




FIGURE 3. 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 39 

In Figure 3 a draped exterior is suggested which 
requires no explanation. 

In dressing your stage for a screened or draped set- 
ting, remember that you are now striving for simplicity 
and suggestiveness and use only such furniture and 
properties as are actually required in the action of the 
scene. 

CHAPTER XIII 



Make-up and Costumes 



There are several good hand books published on 
make-up, telling where the materials can be purchased 
and how to apply them. Let your company begin to 
experiment with make-up between rehearsals and see 
that they make the proper progress long before the 
opening night. It is suggested that wigs or beards should 
be bought, not rented. Articles rented from a " sani- 
tary' ' point of view are not desirable and in the end the 
saving in expense will be small. 

For historical and foreign costumes you can procure 
a book of plates in almost every public library and you 
also have recourse to the dictionary and the encyclo- 
pedias where much useful information will be found. 
In ordering of a costumer who keeps them in stock, 
give him the period and nationality and be sure to order 
far enough in advance so that mistakes may be corrected 
in time. Many simple costumes can be made at home 
by getting the women in your company interested and 
having plates to work from. If your play is modern, 
learn in advance something of the wardrobe of each 
member of your company so that you can make sugges- 
tions and know before the dress rehearsal that the cor- 
rect thing will be worn. Under no circumstances let 
anyone surprise you on the opening night with some 
outlandish or anachronistic costume which cannot be re- 
placed in time. 



40 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

CHAPTER XIV 



Mechanical Effects 



Mechanical effects are rather dangerous in an ama- 
teur production without a well trained stage crew to 
produce them. They should be avoided except as they 
are made essential by the lines and business of the 
play. Make out a list of the effects required and if 
possible take it to a stage carpenter for consultation. 
He will either let you use some of his appliances, make 
them for you or show you how. If you are obliged to 
rely upon your own resources entirely, the following 
suggestions may be of service. 

Rain. Knot ten or twelve pieces of cord at the ends 
and "tie the opposite ends to a handle, making a sort of 
cat-o '-nine-tails. Play the knotted ends of the whip 
on a piece of heavy paper pasted over a frame and you 
will get the effect of pattering rain. Or a rain box may 
be made from an ordinary cheese box by nailing cleats 
at about six inch intervals around the inside. Then 
make an axle in the center with a handle attached to 
turn it with. After putting in a quart of dried peas, 
seal the ends with heavy paper. When revolved rap- 
idly, a good effect of a rain storm is obtained. 

Wind. The effect of wind is made by blowing on a 
shrill whistle and letting the sound die away gradually. 
Follow this by rubbing together two pieces of very fine 
sandpaper. 

Thunder. Thunder is produced by shaking a piece 
of heavy tin or thin sheet iron which has been suspended 
by a cord. 

Lightning. Prepared " Stage Lightning" may be 
purchased of a dealer in theatrical supplies. Secure an 
ample supply and follow directions closely. 

Approaching Horseman. Use a cocoanut shell sawed 
evenly into two parts or hollow out two wooden blocks 
and fasten straps onto the backs of them to slip the 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 41 

hands through. Rap these lightly on the floor in imi- 
tation of the rhythmical beat of a horse's hoofs with a 
crescendo and diminuendo effect to indicate whether he 
is leaving or approaching. 

Snow Storm. Sift a quantity of finely cut white 
paper through a coarse wire netting. This netting 
forms the bottom of a long narrow box which should ex- 
tend from one side of the stage to the other. Suspend 
this box from the flies with ropes at each end having 
another rope come down into the wings by which the 
box may be swayed back and forth. Coarse salt may 
be sprinkled on the hats and shoulders of characters 
who enter and this must be brushed off promptly after 
they are on. 

Glass Crash. Have a basket partly filled with old 
china which may be dropped or shaken at the proper 
time. 

Water scenes are difficult and should be avoided if 
possible. A very good effect may be obtained by the 
use of a moving picture machine played upon a suit- 
able background. The old device of shaking a blue 
cloth from one side of the stage to the other is so old 
and obvious that it may cause merriment when it is not 
wanted. Give your property man a list of cues for 
each effect to be produced and have your stage manager 
rehearse him thoroughly. 

Departing Train. This effect is obtained, first by the 
tolling of a bell containing a clapper followed by beat- 
ing a wire switch against a sheet of tin or a tin stove 
pipe which produces a sound similar to the exhaust or 
escaping steam of an engine getting under way. This 
switch is composed of a dozen or more wires a foot and 
a half to two feet long, bound together at one end and 
having the other end radiate to a circumference of about 
one foot in diameter. The ends of the switch striking 
the tin in succession produce, at a distance, a peculiar 
hissing sound. Toll the bell slowly four or five times 
and then beat the tin slowly, increasing the rapidity 



42 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

of the blows and at the same time diminishing the vol- 
ume until the sounds die away. For an approaching 
train use only a whistle but do not use the whistle for 
a departing train as it is best to let the audience forget 
about the train after they have heard it leave. 



CHAPTER XV 



Glossary of Stage Terms 



Many of the terms used on the stage and found in 
play manuscripts are more or less technical and pecu- 
liar to the theatre and may be puzzling to the amateur. 
We have, therefore, compiled a list of the more com- 
mon terms used and arranged them in alphabetical order. 

Asides. Lines or words which only the audience is 
supposed to hear. They are but little used in the mod- 
ern plays. 

Box Scene or Set. A scene where the sides are closed 
in like the walls of a room. 

Business. The things a player does, as distinguished 
from the lines which he speaks. Business is often done 
simultaneously with the speaking of a line, or is used 
as a form of by-play to fill in. Picking up a book, light- 
ing a cigar, arranging flowers, etc., is referred to as 
business. 

Call. An official notice issued by the stage manager 
or director, notifying the players of rehearsals or any 
other matter pertaining to the performance. 

Cast. The members of the company, that is, the 
players who are taking part in the performance. 

Character Parts. Roles in which a player represents 
an odd or striking type of character. As distinguished 
from "straight" parts it means dialect parts, old men 
or' women, eccentric parts, etc. 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 43 

Clear. The stage is clear when there is no one on the 
scene. The stage director or manager uses this expres- 
sion when he wants the stage free of every one not con- 
cerned in the scene. 

Climax. The strongest scene or turning point in the 
play. In a four act play it usually comes at the end of 
the third act. In a three act play some place in the 
third act. There is no rule. 

Cue. A signal or warning for a speech or action, or 
in fact anything that transpires on the stage. The 
word implies a pre-arrangement as opposed to what is 
impromptu. 

Down. Toward the footlights. 

Dressing the Stage. Eeferring to both the actors 
and to the furnishings of the stage. The way they are 
grouped or arranged to make an effective picture. 

Fake or Faking. An actor fakes when he has forgot- 
ten his line and has to improvise. 

Fat. A part or role is said to be fat when it offers 
good opportunities for the actor to reveal his ability. 

Feeder or Feeding. A role which is secondary in 
importance. When properly played it creates oppor- 
tunities for the actor playing opposite. 

"^lies. That part of the theatre above the stage. 

Gag or Gagging. Introducing words or jokes not in 
the play. Not to be tolerated under any circumstances. 

The Heavy. The actor who plays the part of the 
villain or any sinister character. 

Ingenue. A style of character portrayed in which 
artlessness, simplicity and ingenuousness predominate. 

Juveniles. Young people in the play, usually the 
young lovers. 

Left. The actor's left as he faces the audience. 

Lines. The words or speeches of a part. 

Mugging. Making faces for the purpose of creating 
laughter. It is bad acting. 



44 HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 

Off. Meaning back or to one side of the scene which 
is visible to the audience. 

On. A person is on the scene when they are visible 
to the audience. 

Practical. In stage directions a window or door or 
a piece of property used in the play is referred to as 
practical, meaning that it is to be used as in real life. 
It must "work." 

Properties. All articles used in the play either on 
or off the scene. 

Ranting. Speaking too loud or over acting a part. 

Right. The actor's right as he faces the audience. 

Ringing In. The signal to the orchestra to begin the 
overture. 

Ringing Up. The signal for raising the curtain. 

Run. The number of consecutive performances of 
a play. Also an inclined plane or run-way extending 
from the wings to the stage. 

Scene Plot. A* list of the scenery required in the 
play. 

Set. The stage prepared for an act, that is, set with 
scenery. 

Set Piece. A piece of fixed scenery. A house, rock, 
tree, etc. 

Soliloquy. A speech in which the actor is supposed 
to think aloud. Little used in modern plays. 

Soubrette. A lively, frolicsome role for a young 
woman. 

Strike. To take down and remove the setting of a 
scene or act. 

Straight. A character is played straight when it is 
done without eccentricity. A straight part is a normal, 
conventional role. 

Supernumeries or Supers. Extra people used in 
the play to represent the mob. soldiers, etc. 

Tag. The last line of the play. 



HOW TO STAGE A PLAY 45 

Thinking Part. A part without lines to speak. 

Throwing Lines. Prompting an aetor who has for- 
gotten his lines. 

Up. Away from the footlights. To be up in a part 
is to know it thoroughly. 

Utility. A small part usually given to beginn* 

Watt. A stage wait is a delay in the performance. 
caused by an aetor failing to enter at the right time 
or when something fails to take place which should take 
place. It never should be allowed to occur. 

Wings. The sides of the stage not visible to the 
audience. This is the modern meaning. In the old 
method of stage settings, :he wings were upright pieces 
of scenerv. 



An Old Fashioned Mother 

By WALTER BEN HARE. 
Price, 25 Cents 
The dramatic parable of a mother's love, in 3 acts; 6 males, 
6 females, also the village choir or quartet and a group of silent 
villagers. Time, 2 1 4 hours. One scene: A sitting room. A play 
of righteousness as pure as a mother's kiss, but with a moral 
that will be felt by all. Contains plenty of good, wholesome 
comedy and dramatic scenes that will interest any audience. 
Male Characters: The county sheriff; an old hypocrite; the selfish 
elder son; the prodigal younger son; a tramp and a comical coun- 
try boy. Female Characters: The mother (one of the greatest 
sympathetic roles ever written for amateurs); the village belle; 
the sentimental old maid; the good-hearted hired girl; a village 
gossip and a little girl of nine. Especially suited for church, 
Sunday school, lodge or school performance. 

SYNOPSIS. 

Act. I. — The Good Samaritan. Aunt Debby's farmhouse in late 
March. The Widder rehearses the village choir. Sukey in trouble 
with the old gray tabby cat. "She scratched me. I was puttin' 
flour on her face for powder, jest like you do!" Lowisy Custard 
reads her original poetry and Jerry Gosling drops in to see if 
there are to be any refreshments. "That's jest what maw says!" 
Lowisy and Jonah pass the fainting tramp by the wayside and 
Deborah rebukes them with the parable of the Good Samaritan. 
The tramp's story of downfall due to drink. "A poor piece of 
driftwood blown hither and thither by the rough winds of ad- 
versity." John, Deborah's youngest son, profits by the tramp's 
experience. "From this moment no drop of liquor shall ever pass 
my lips." John arrested. "I am innocent, and when a man can 
face his God, he needn't be afraid to face the law!" 

Act II. — A Mother's Love. Same scene but three years later, 
a winter afternoon. "Colder'n blue and purple blazes and snowin' 
like sixty." Jerry's engagement ring. "Is it a di'mond? Bf it 
ain't I'm skun out of two shillin'." "I been sparkin' her fer 
nigh onto four years, Huldy Sourapple, big fat gal, lives over 
at Hookworm Crick." Deborah longs for news from John, the 
boy who was taken away. The Widder gossips. "I never seen 
sich a womern!" "You'd think she was a queen livin' in New 
York at the Walled-off Castoria." Lowisy is disappointed in 
Brother Guggs and decides to set her cap for Jonah. Deborah 
mortgages the old home for Charley and Isabel. The sleighing 
party. "Where is my wandering boy tonight?" The face at the 
window. Enoch and John. "I've been weak and foolish, a thing 
of scorn, laughed at, mocked at, an ex-convict with the shadow 
of the prison ever before me, but all that is passed. From now 
on, with the help of God, I am going to be a man!" 

Act III. — The Prodigal Son. Two years later. Deborah bids 
farewell to the old home before she goes over the hills to the 
poorhouse. "The little home where I've lived since John brought 
me home as a bride." The bitterest cup — a pauper. "It ain't 
right, it ain't fair." Gloriana and the baby. "There ain't nothin' 
left fer me, nothin' but the poorhouse." The sheriff comes to take 
Aunt Deb over the hills. "Your boy ain't dead. He's come back 
to you, rich and respected. He's here!" The return of the prod- 
igal son. Jerry gets excited and yells, "Glory Hallelujah!" The 
joy and happiness of Deborah. "Honor thy father and thy 
mother that thy days may b e long in the land." 

T. S.DENISON & COMPANY, Publishers 

154 W. Randolph Street, CHICAGO 



Safety First 



By SHELDON PARMER 

Price, 25 Cents 

Farce-comedy, in 3 acts; 5 males, 5 females. Time, 2*4 hours. 
Scenes: A parlor and a garden, easily arranged. A sprightly 
farce full of action and with a unique plot teeming with unex- 
pected turns and twists that will make the audience wonder "what 
on earth is coming next." Behind the fun and movement lurks 
a great moral: Always tell the truth to your wife. The cast 
includes three young men, a funny policeman, a terrible Turk, 
two young ladies, a society matron, a Turkish maiden and Mary 
O'Finnigan, the Irish cook. The antics of the terror-stricken 
husband, the policeman, the dude and the Irish cook start the 
audience smiling at 8:15 and send them home with aching sides 
from the tornado of fun at 10:40. Suitable for performance any- 
where, but recommended for lodges, clubs and schools. Not a 
coarse or suggestive line in the play. 

SYNOPSIS - 

Act I. — Jack's lil suburban home. A misplaced husband. "He 
kissed me good-bye at eighteen minutes after seven last night, 
and I haven't laid eyes on him since." The Irish maid is full 
of sympathy but she imagines a crime has been committed. 
Elmer, the college boy, drops in. And the terrible Turk drops 
out. "Sure the boss has eloped wid a Turkey!" Jerry and Jack 
come home after a horrible night. Explanations. "We joined the 
Shriners, I'm the Exalted Imported Woggle and Jack is the Ba- 
zook!" A detective on the trail. Warrants for John Doe, Richard 
Roe and Mary Moe. "We're on our way to Florida!" 

Act II. — A month later, Jack and Jerry reported drowned at 
sea. The Terrible Turk looking for Zulcika. The return of the 
prodigals. Ghosts! Some tall explanations are in order. "I never 
was drowned in all my life, was I, Jerry?" "We were lashed to 
a mast and we floated and floated and floated!" A couple of 
heroes. The Terrible Turk hunting for Jack and Jerry. "A Turk 
never injures an insane man." Jack feigns insanity. "We are 
leaving this roof forever!" The end of a perfect day. 

Act III. — Mrs. Bridger's garden. Elmer and Zuleika start on 
their honeymoon. Mabel forgives Jack, but her mamma does not. 
They decide to elope. Jerry's scheme works. The two McNutts. 
"Me middle name is George Washington, and I cannot tell a 
lie." The detective falls in the well. "It's his ghost!" Jack and 
Jerry preparing for the elopement. Mary Ann appears at the 
top of the ladder. A slight mistake. "It's a burglar, mum, I've 
got him!" The Terrible Turk finds his Zuleika. Happiness at last. 

Foiled, By Heck! 

By FREDERICK G. JOHNSON 
Price, 25 Cents 

A truly rural drama, in 1 scene and several dastardly acts; 
3 males, 3 females. Time., 35 minutes. Scene: The mortgaged 
home of the homespun drama, between sunup- and sundown. 
Characters: Reuben, a nearly self-made man. His wife, who 
did the rest. Their perfectly lovely daughter. Clarence, a rustic 
hero, by ginger! Olivia, the plaything of fate, poor girl. Syl- 
vester, with a viper's heart. Curses! Curses! Already he has 
the papers. A screaming travesty on the old-time "b'gosh" drama. 

T. S. DENISON & COMPANY, Publishers 

154 W. Randolph Street, CHICAGO 



The Press-Agent's Handbook 

By FREDERICK G. JOHNSON. 

Price, 25 Cents 

How to advertise a play. Designed primarily for the use of 
dramatic clubs and other groups of amateur entertainers. The in- 
formation is clearly and concisely presented. Fine-spun, untried 
theories have been studiously avoided. The material is largely 
the direct result of experience gained by a practical advertising 
man in promoting the publicity for many amateur entertainments, 
and his financial success has been the best testimonial for the 
value of the advice given in this book. 

CONTENTS. 
Chapter i. — The Need of a Press-Agent. 

The Press-Agent Is Responsible — Duty of the Press-Agent — 
Wasting Ammunition — "Learning the Ropes" in Advance. 
Chapter II. — Selecting the Press- Agent. 

Experience not Essential — Newspaper Training: of Value — 
Genera] Requirements. 
Chapter III. — Advertising Mediums. 

Handbills — Window Cards — Posters and Billboards — News- 
paper Advertising — Hand-made Posters-— Personal Work. 
Chapter IV. — The Newspaper Campaign. 

Make Friends — Business First — How Much Appropriation? — 
A Small Town Advantage — Use All Newspapers — Live up to 
the Agreement — Getting Acquainted — Exclusive Notices — De- 
velop Gradually — The Final Week — Depends on Circumstances— 
Country Weeklies — Expressing Appreciation. 
Chapter V. — Preparing News Copy. 

Readers Must Contain News — Preparation Important — Ex- 
change of Service — Novelty the Keynote — "New" and "Exclu- 
sive" — Don't Be Offended — Preparing News Copy — Each Notice 
Complete — Carbon Copies — Length of Notices — Best Kind of 
Material — Human Interest Most Important. 
Chapter VI. — Preparing Advertising Copy. 

Simplicity the Keynote — Good Taste a Requisite — Saving 
Space — Using a Model — Size of Type — Newspaper Instructions- 
Teaser Campaign — Hints on Posters. 
Chapter VII. — The Outdoor Campaign. 

For the Small Town — Teasers — Follow Up — Posters — Hand' 
bills — Personal Work. 
Chapter VIII. — Novel Advertising Stunts. 

Hand-made Window Cards — The Float — Scenic Float — The 
Parade — Street Car Hangers. 
Chapter IX. — Ticket Schemes. 

Various Methods — On Sale at Stores — Solicitation by Mail — 
Why It Is Not Advised — Personal Disposal — Selling by Districts 
— Sale by the Players — Insist on Cash Sales — When Prices Are 
Scaled — Reserved Seats — Advance Sale — Sale by Contest — Com- 
plimentary Tickets — Passes for Newspapers — When to Give 
Passes— Copy for Tickets. 
Chapter X. — Programs. 

A Regular Formula — A Model Program — Musical Plays- 
Clearness and Accuracy — Printing Programs — How Many to 
Print — Program Advertising. 
Chapter XI. — Specimen Press Notices. 

Brief Opening Notice — More Elaborate Opening Notice — 
First Follow-Up — Second Follow-Up — Third Follow-Up - 
Fourth Follow-Up — Fifth Follow-Up — Very Short Reader — To 
Be Used Just Before Date of Performance — Humorous Advance 
Notice. 

T. S. DENISON & COMPANY, Publishers 

154 W. Randolph Street, CHICAGO 



DENISON'S ACTING PLAYS 

Partial List of Successful and Popular Plays. Large Catalogue Free 



M. I. 

Trial of Hearts, 4 acts, 2% hrs. 

(25c) 6 IS 

Trip to Storyland, 1 54 hrs. (25c) 17 23 

Uncle Josh, 4 acts, 234 hrs. (25c) 8 3 
Under Blue Skies, 4 acts, 2 

hrs (25c) 7 10 

When Smith Stepped Out, 3 

acts, 2 hrs (35c) 4 4 

Winning Widow, 2 acts, l l / 2 hrs. 

(25c) 2 4 

Women Who Did, 1 hr...(25c) 17 

FARCES, COMEDIETAS, Etc. 
Price 15 Cents Each 

All on a Summer's Day, 40 min. 4 6 

April Fools, 30 min 3 

Assessor, The, 10 min 3 2 

Aunt Harriet's Night Out, 35 

min 1 2 

Baby Show at Pineville, 20 min. 19 

Billy's Chorus Girl, 25 min... 2 3 

Billy's Mishap, 20 min 2 3 

Borrowed Luncheon, 20 min.. 5 

Borrowing Trouble, 20 min.... 3 5 
Case Against Casey, 40 min... 23 

Country Justice, 15 min 8 

Cow that Kicked Chicago, 20 m. 3 2 

Divided Attentions, 35 min... 1 4 

Family Strike, 20 min 3 3 

First-Class Hotel, 20 min 4 

For Love and Honor, 20 min.. 2 1 

Fudge and a Burglar, 15 min.. 5 

Fun in Photo Gallery, 30 min.. 6 10 

Getting Rid of Father, 20 min. 3 1 
Great Medical Dispensary, 30 m. 6 
Great Pumpkin Case, 30 min.. 12 

Hans Von Smash, 30 min.... 4 3 
Initiating a Granger, 25 min.. 8 

Irish Linen Peddler, 40 min... 3 3 

Kansas Immigrants, 20 min... 5 1 

Lottie Sees It Through, 35 min. 3 4 

Men Not Wanted, 30 min 8 

Mother Goose's Goslings, 30 m. 7 9 

Mrs. Tenkins' Brilliant Idea, 35m. S 

Mrs. Stubbins' Book Agent, 30 m. 3 2 

Not a Man in the House, 40 m. 5 

Pair of Lunatics, 20 min 1 1 

Patsy O'Wang, 35 min 4 3 

Pat, the Apothecary, 35 min.. 6 2 

Persecuted Dutchman, 30 min . 6 3 

Please Pass the Cream, 20 min. 1 1 

Second Childhood, 15 min.... 2 2 

Shadows, 35 min 2 2 

Sing a Song of Seniors, 30 min. 7 

Smith's Unlucky Day, 20 min.. 1 1 

Taking Father's Place, 30 min. 5 3 

That Rascal Pat, 30 min 3 2 

Too Much of a Good Thing, 45 

min 3 6 

Turn Him Out, 35 min 3 2 

Two Aunts ard a Photo, 20 m. 4 
Two Gentlemen in a Fix, 15 m. 2 

Two Ghosts in White, 20 min . . 8 



Two of a Kind, 40 min 2 3 

Uncle Dick's Mistake, 20 min.. 3 2 

Wanted a Correspondent, 45 m. 4 4 
Watch, a Wallet, and a Jack of 

Spades, 40 min 3 6 

Whole Truth, 40 min 5 4 

Who's the Boss? 25 min 3 6 

Wide Enough for Two, 45 min. 5 2 

Wrong Baby, 25 min 8 

VAUDEVILLE SKETCHES, MON- 
OLOGUES, ETHIOPIAN PLAYS. 
Price 15 Cents Each 

Amateur, 15 min 1 1 

At Harmony Junction, 20 min. 4 

Axin' Her Father, 25 min 2 3 

Booster Club of Blackville, 25 m.10 
Breakfast Food for Two, 20 m. 1 1 

Cold Finish, 15 min 2 1 

Colored Honeymoon, 25 min... 2 2 
Coon Creek Courtship, 15 min. 1 1 
Coming Champion, 20 min.... 2 
Coontown Thirteen Club, 25 m.14 

Counterfeit Bills, 20 min 1 1 

Darktown Fire Brigade, 25 min. 10 
Doings of a Dude, 20 min.... 2 1 

For Reform, 20 min 4 

Fresh Timothy Hay, 20 min ..21 
Glickman, the Glazier, 25 min. 1 1 
Good Mornin' Tuuge, 35 min.. 9 2 

Her Hero, 20 "min 1 1 

Hey, Rube! 15 min 1 

Home Run, 15 min 1 1 

Hungry, 15 min 2 

Little Miss Enemy, 15 min.... 1 1 
Little Red School House, 20 m. 4 

Love and Lather, 35 min 3 2 

Marriage and After, 10 min.. 1 

MeniDhis Mose, 25 min 5 1 

Mischievous Nigger, 25 min.. 4 2 

Mr. and Mrs. Fido, 20 min 1 1 

Oh, Doctor! 30 min 6 2 

One Sweetheart for Two, 20 m. 2 

Oyster Stew, 10 min 2 

Pete Yansen's Gurl's Moder. 10m. 1 

Pickles for Two, 15 min 2 

Si and I, 15 min 1 

Special Sale, 15 min 2 

Street Faker, 15 min 3 

Such Ignorance, 15 min 2 

Sunny Son of Italy, 15 min.. 1 

Time Table, 20 min 1 1 

Tramp and the Actress, 20 min. 1 1 
Troubled by Ghosts, 10 min... 4 
Troubles of Rozinski, 15 min.. 1 
Two Jay Detectives, 15 min.. 3 
Umbrella Mender, 15 min.... 2 
Whnt HapDened to Hannah. 1 5m. 1 1 

A great number of 

Standard and Amateur Plays 

not found here are listed in 

Denison's Catalogue 



T.S. DEN 8SON& COMPANY, Publishers, 154 W.Randolph St., Chicago 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



POPULAR ENTERTAIN* 027 211 318 A 

Price, Illustrated Paper Covers, 35 cents each 



.„«„«.« 


flElNTERTAINEf 








. 





TN this Series 
-L are found 
books touching 
every feature 
in the enter- 
tainment field. 
Finely made, 
good paper, 
clear print and 
each book has 
an attractive 
individual cov- 
er design. 
A Partial List 

DIALOGUES 

All Sorts of Dialogues. 

Selected, fine for older pupils. 
Catchy Comic Dialogues. 

Very clever; for young people. * 
Children's Comic Dialogues. ' 

Prom six to eleven years of age. 
Country School Dialogues. 

Brand new, original 
Dialogues for District Schools. 

For country schools. 
Dialogues from Dickens. 

Thirteen selections. 
Friday Afternoon Dialogues. 

Over 60,000 copies sold. 
From Tots to Teens. 

Dialogues and recitations. 
Humorous Homespun Dialogues. 

For older ones. 
Little People's Plays. 

From 7 to 13 years of age. 
Lively Dialogues. 

For all ages; mostly humorous. 
Merry Little Dialogues. 

Thirty-eight original selections. 
When the Lessons are Over. 

Dialogues, drills, plavs. 
Wide Awake Dialogues. 

Original successful. 

SPEAKERS, MONOLOGUES 

Choice Pieces for Little People. 

A child's speaker. 
The Comic Entertainer. 

Recitations, monologues, dialogues. 
Dialect Readings. 

Irish, Dutch. Negro. Scotch, etc. 
The Favorite Speaker. 

Choice prose and poetry : 
The Friday Afternoon Speaker. 

For pupils of all ages. 
Humorous Monologues. 

Particularly for ladies. 
Monologues for Young Folks. 

Clever, humorous, original. 



Monologues Grave and Gay. 

Dramatic and humorous. 
Scrap- Book Recitations. 

Choice collections, pathetic, hu- 
morous, descriptive, prose, 
poetry. 15 Nos., per No. 35c 

DRILLS 

The Best Drill Book. 

Very popular drills and marches. 
The Favorite Book of Drills. 

Drills that sparkle with originality 
Little Plays With Drills. 

For children from 6 to 11 years 
The Surprise Drill Book. 

Fresh, novel, drills and marches 

SPECIALTIES 

The Boys' Entertainer. 

Monologues, dialogues, drills. 
Children's Party Book. 

Invitations, decorations', games. 
The Christmas Entertainer. 

Novel and diversified. 
The Days We Celebrate. 

Entertainments for all the holidays 
Goad, Things for Christmas. 

Recitations, dialogues, drills 
G °od I Things for Sunday Schools. 

Dialogues, exercises, recitations. 
Good Things for Thanksgiving. 

A gem of a book. • r 
Good Things for Washington 

and Lincoln Birthdays. 
Little Folks' Budget. 

Easy pieces to speak, songs. 
One Hundred Entertainments. 

New parlor diversions, socials. 
Patriotic Celebrations. 

Great variety of material. 
Pictured Readings and Tableaux. 

Entirely original features. 
Pranks and Pastimes. 

Parlor games for children. 
Shadow Pictures, Pantomimes, 

Charades, and how to prepare. 
Tableaux and Scenic Readings. 

New and novel; for all ages. 
Twinkling Fingers and Sway- 
ing Figures. For little tots. 
Yuletide Entertainments. 

A choice Christmas collection. 

MINSTRELS, JOKES 

The Black-Face Joker. 

Minstrels' and end men's gags. 
A Bundle of Burnt Cork Comedy. 

Monologues, stump speeches, etc. 
Laughland,via the Ha-Ha Route. 

A merry trip for fun tourists. 
Negro Minstrels. 

All about the business. 
The New Jolly Jester. 

Fun ny stories, jokes, gags, etc. 

Large Illustrated Catalogue Free 



T.S.DENISON & COMPANY, Publishers,154 W.Randolph St., Chicago 



